The Closet
by Angevon
Summary: Yosuke hides in a closet at the Dojima residence. Souji finds him, and... [SoujiXYosuke]


[AN: This is a kink meme fill. The prompt was:

_Yosuke wont come out of the closet. A literal one. So Souji gets in the closet with him and they make out._

Rather self-explanatory, I'd say!]

* * *

Yosuke wasn't exactly a social butterfly—certainly not to the extent that Souji was—but he liked being around people. He hated awkward silences and always did his best to fill them. He was maybe a bit nervous in social situations, but he liked to think of himself as the life of the party, always cracking jokes to set people at ease, and okay maybe he wasn't quite there yet, but he was getting better at it every day. Fighting Shadows in the TV World had done a lot to boost his self-confidence, and every shift at Junes improved his patience and sense of responsibility.

He liked people and he liked attention, too. But sometimes... sometimes he just needed to get away. Today was one such day.

It was a good day, honestly—a commemorative day. The Investigation Team was celebrating how well Souji had done on his exams. Well, they were celebrating how they all had at least had passed their exams, but really, they were having this little party at Souji's uncle's place, so it was mostly for their beloved leader. That way adorable little Nanako-chan could be invited too.

And Yosuke had been having a good time—he was! He was certain of it—when suddenly he just _couldn't take it anymore,_ and he'd slunk away while everyone was distracted by the bad kung fu flick they were watching. Heck, maybe that had been the cause, that he wasn't brave enough to make fun of it in front of Chie. She'd been taking the movie rather seriously. His 'nads would thank him later, right?

Anyway, it was nice and quiet in here, although he could still sorta hear everyone's muffled voices and the movie in the background. Smelled a bit musty, like mildew and mothballs, but it was dark, and that's what was important. It didn't seem like this closet was opened very often, so there was very little chance of being found in it, and it was on the second floor, at the end of the hall from Souji's room, so he could get out when he was feeling better with no one the wiser.

He hugged his knees. It was a good thing Dojima-san didn't keep any shoes in here, or else it'd be uncomfortable to sit like this on the closet's floor. It was surprisingly empty, no boxes or anything, either, just some dusty old jackets and pants hanging in it. Probably some of Dojima-san's older clothes. Hopefully not his wife's old stuff, Yosuke would feel terrible for even accidentally touching any of that...

He sighed quietly and hoped the darkness would calm him. He should have brought his headphones, but someone might hear the noise even through the closed door, so he'd left them in his jacket downstairs, safely hanging in the threshold.

He took a few deep breaths and stared up at, well, nothing. He couldn't even see his hands in the darkness here. It had been several years since the last time he'd done this, hidden himself in a small, dark space. It had been kind of a habit when he was much, much younger. Just... an inexplicable need to be alone in the dark sometimes. It had worried his mother, but for once, his father had understood and had let him get away with it.

He'd thought he'd outgrown the habit, but...

* * *

"Hey, uh... Where's Yosuke?" Chie asked, looking around the Dojima's living room. "He hasn't said anything in a bit. Did he go to the bathroom?"

"Teddie was just there, and the bathroom is bear!" Teddie jumped up and clapped his hands in excitement. "Oh! That rhymed!"

"Maybe he's in your room?" Yukiko suggested, looking at Souji.

"I saw him go upstairs, big bro," Nanako-chan contributed. "But... I didn't see if he came back down."

Souji nodded and said he would check. However, he returned to the living room just a minute later, Yosuke-less. "He's not there..."

"Did he say he was leaving?" Yukiko asked. "We didn't even finish the movie."

"Sometimes when he talks, I drown him out, but I swear would've heard if he said he was leaving!" Chie assured a troubled Souji.

Souji checked the threshold. Yosuke's shoes and jacket were still there, so his friend hadn't gone out. After a quick count, he determined that Yosuke hadn't borrowed anyone else's shoes, either.

Chie stood up from the couch and put her hands on her hips. "The house isn't that big. He couldn't have gone far."

"Ohhhh. Is it time for a game of hide and seek!?" Teddie exclaimed. "Who's 'it'? Can I be 'it'? Wait, Sensei should be 'it'!"

"We're all 'it,' Teddie," Souji said. "Let's find him."

They began to search the house.

* * *

"Yosuke?" came a muffled call.

Yosuke's eyes widened in the dark. _Sh-shit._ He'd stayed in here too long. Maybe it wasn't too late to get out without being caught. He made to stand when he heard Chie shout his name from so close that it had to be basically the other side of the closet door. He froze and prayed she couldn't hear the pounding of his heart.

He heard the creak of floorboards as she moved away, and he slowly let out his breath in relief. Yeah, they'd give up eventually.

He heard Teddie say something downstairs, and he worried for a moment that the bear could sniff him out, but then he heard him complain that "the whole house smells like Yosuke." Yosuke wasn't sure whether to be insulted by that or not. The Dojima residence was becoming like his second home, wasn't it? Well, next to Junes, probably. Hah.

It became quiet out there. Seems like they'd turned the TV off. Or maybe they'd all left the house to look for him outside. He felt simultaneously good that they were worried about him and awful that he was making them worry for nothing. It only made him want to curl up on himself here in the closet even more. Damn, he was just a mess, wasn't he?

Music suddenly blared out of his pants pocket and startled him so much that he almost fell against the door with enough force to open it. He swore under his breath and scrambled to turn off his phone, but it was too late, someone had heard it ringing. Dammit, he should've left that with his jacket... He hadn't even considered that they'd try to call him...

"Upstairs!? But I already checked!" he heard Chie shout. "Yosuke! You big idiot! This isn't funny!"

He whimpered as she neared the closet. He put as much strength as he could into holding the handle closed when she tried to open it. He couldn't be caught—he'd never live it down. Chie would use every opportunity to make fun of him for it, he just _knew._ And even as understanding as he was, Souji would think he was, a, a, a creep or something for hiding in his uncle's closet like this.

"Huh, I could've sworn..." he heard Chie say.

"Could've sworn what?" Souji's voice asked. "Oh, the closet?"

Yosuke's eyes probably rolled into the back of his head in desperation as he tried to double up his force when Souji tried the handle.

"Yosuke, are you in there...?" his partner asked in that soft voice of his.

_Go away,_ Yosuke silently pleaded. _Please, just go away._

"It's locked," Chie said helpfully. Yosuke mentally promised to buy her a steak later.

"Umm, big bro... It doesn't _have_ a lock."

...He mentally cursed Nanako-chan for being a detective's daughter!

"I see," Souji said. "Well, let's not worry about it. Come on, let's go back downstairs."

Yosuke continued to hang onto the handle, believing it was a feint, but he did hear the creak of the stairs, so maybe he really was being left alone. He wanted to sigh in relief, but he just found himself feeling anxious.

An indefinite time later, it became clear that they had given up looking for him, and he sank back down to the closet's floor and restarted the process of calming himself. Slow, deep breaths. He kept swallowing and his eyes itched. Damn, it had never been this bad, but he'd never had to worry about his best friends catching him in such a weird situation before.

Ahhh... He was almost better now. He could almost come out. He just had to come up with an excuse. Uh... Nothing good was coming to mind. He could claim he got tired and fell asleep in Souji's room, maybe? That was kind of weird, though... Plus they'd checked his room for sure. What could he say? "Oh, you didn't see me? I was under the futon's covers..." Yeah, no. They'd definitely get the wrong idea.

The creak of stairs again. Oh, _damn,_ the footsteps were coming towards the closet. He strained against the handle. Yeah, someone was trying it, someone strong too...

The person stopped.

"Yosuke, are you in there?" It was Souji. He sounded concerned. Of course.

_No,_ Yosuke wanted to shout.

"Yosuke, I won't ask why... but I would like you to come out. I've had the others leave... It's just me."

It was tempting, but... And he'd likely be caught anyway when he finally tried to get out...

"...Just a little longer, okay?" Yosuke muttered, loud enough to be heard. He let go of the handle and hugged his knees, burying his head between them and willing his eyes to stop watering.

Souji was quiet for a long time, but Yosuke knew his partner was still standing there. He hadn't heard him move. Then Souji said, "Can I come in?"

_What? No,_ Yosuke thought with a scowl. "Ah, there's not much room in here, partner."

Apparently taking that as a 'yes,' Souji opened the door. Yosuke turned his head away to avoid the sudden light. Then Souji stepped in and closed the door behind him. Merciful darkness enveloped the two of them.

"What the hell, Souji," Yosuke said, but his words lacked any bite. He was more puzzled than anything.

"I've never been in here," Souji said. There was a rustle of cloth as he apparently tried to look around and brushed against the hanging clothes.

"Well, yeah... It's a closet."

"I think this is where my uncle stored my futon before I came to live here," Souji commented.

"...Makes sense..." Yosuke muttered. He sighed.

There was a stretch of silence before Souji accidentally kicked him when he tried to sit on the closet's floor. A jacket fell off of its hanger and onto his head, too. "You weren't kidding about the lack of room," Souji said. He sounded like he might be smiling wryly.

Yosuke sighed again.

Another silence elapsed, and Yosuke realized it was because he was supposed to be the talkative one here. With another sigh he decided he might as well get this session of 'therapy with Souji' over and done with. "Don't think I'm weird, okay?" he said. "It's just..."

"Weird?" said Souji. "You're not weird. I'm weirder."

"Dude, it's not a contest, par—hey!" Yosuke suddenly felt Souji's hands on his face, feeling where he was or, or something. "What are you—stop that! Hey—mmph!"

Something warm was on his lips, effectively shutting him up. He was too astonished to do anything more than let Souji kiss him. That's what he was doing, right? Wow, his lips were soft and warm, and, yeah that was definitely a nose banging uncomfortably into his own when he tried to change the angle.

Souji drew back. "I'm weirder," he drawled, "because I've always wanted to do this."

"Wh-what... What the hell, Souji!?"

"Would be better if I could see you," Souji teased.

At least in the darkness, no one could see how red Yosuke's face was, or how he was maybe smiling a bit. "A-always wanted to do _what?_ K-kiss me? Or kiss someone in a closet?"

"Kiss a _certain someone_ in a dark place, maybe," Souji said.

Yosuke wished he wasn't in such a dark place because he really couldn't tell what Souji meant by his words alone. He'd sounded suggestive but... Obviously there was a particular girl Souji wanted to ask out, or... or something. "Can't imagine a girl who'd say no to you, partner. You don't need to practice on _me._" Yosuke had planned to sound reassuring, but wow that had come out a little bitter, hadn't it? Yosuke frowned to himself. What was that about?

To his surprise, Souji sighed. It sounded heavy and wistful, a stark contrast to Yosuke's earlier frustrated, 'leave me alone' sighs.

In the silence that followed, Yosuke tried to pretend that kiss hadn't happened, and tried not to think about Souji or about how Yosuke had pretty much just ruined what was going to be a fun party. The Investigation Team rarely had a chance to get together and relax like this, what with work and school and the TV World...

"Yosuke...?" Souji said, his voice soft and subdued.

"Dude, we don't really have to whisper," Yosuke told him. "It's not a secret that I'm in here anymore."

"Yosuke, umm..."

'Umm'? Souji never umm'd. Yosuke blinked into the darkness. "What's up, partner? You wanna get out...?" _Please don't suddenly be claustrophobic._

"Yosuke, w-what if... What if I didn't want to _just practice_ on you."

"Practice what? Ow!" Yosuke had tried to cross his arms and ended up banging his elbow against the wall. "Oh, kissing? Well, _duh,_ I don't want you practicing on me either."

"O-oh..." Souji sounded like he'd just been scolded for saying a bad word. "Of course. Silly me."

Yosuke frowned, repeating to himself what Souji had said, mouthing the words and lingering over that strange place he'd put an inflection, trying to figure out the meaning that had obviously escaped him. "Wait a sec... Souji... Are you saying you want to _actually_ kiss me?"

"No," Souji said too quickly. Yosuke knew him well enough to know that he meant 'yes.'

Yosuke uncrossed his arms and stretched his legs out because they were getting cramped and only managed to kick Souji, but his partner didn't complain or anything. The movement was supposed to help him think but "Umm" was the only thing he was able to say.

Yosuke began to think about Souji, his best friend Souji, his partner Souji, his leader Souji... top of the class, Souji... the guy who's always got his back, Souji... the hot transfer student, Souji... the kid wasting a Sunday afternoon with him in a closet, Souji...

He realized Souji hadn't even asked him why he was in the closet.

It wasn't that Souji was incurious—he was just infinitely, almost inhumanly patient, and if Yosuke wanted to talk about it, he'd listen, but if Yosuke didn't, he wouldn't ask...

And holy hell why hadn't Yosuke seen it sooner... Damn, Souji was so patient he could have been waiting literally forever for Yosuke to come around...

Yosuke flailed out a hand and found Souji's arm. From there he felt up—and boy was the guy tense all of a sudden—and up to his collar, found the skin of his neck and Yosuke paused there, because the skin was warm—well of course it was warm, it was _skin_—and then trailed up the side of his face, then to the back of his head, and then pulled his head forward into a kiss.

It was sloppy because they really couldn't see what they were doing, maybe a little painful because they kept banging into each other, but maybe that was half the fun. Souji responded slowly, carefully, as if he was afraid of scaring Yosuke, and then became very eager when Yosuke slipped him some tongue.

_No need to be shy, partner,_ Yosuke thought, and Souji made a very pleasing sound as if in response.

Yosuke's hands steadied Souji's head, and he felt Souji's hands groping around his waist, not doing anything really, just wanting something to hold onto. They felt way too warm—somehow they'd got under his shirt—but also felt like they belonged there...

Yosuke pushed forward until Souji's head was flush against the closet wall, then he lowered his own hands to rub and caress Souji's shoulders and neck. If it wasn't so damned dark he might find himself unbuttoning Souji's dress shirt. Yosuke had never made out with anyone this intensely, in... God, he didn't fucking know. Ever, probably.

Needing air, Yosuke finally pulled away. Souji's hot and heavy breathing almost made him go right back to it. "Oh damn, partner," he whispered, just inches from Souji's face.

"Yosuke," Souji panted. His breath steamed onto Yosuke's neck.

"No wonder all the girls want you," Yosuke murmured. He chuckled and ran his fingers through Souji's hair.

"Mmm..." Souji's nose settled against his neck. "They can keep wanting... I don't want them... I want you..."

Yosuke answered by trying to climb on top of Souji. He ended up kicking the wall and banging his knee, but his partner moaned and wriggled under him. _Oh, God, partner, please make that sound again,_ Yosuke thought. _Please._

In an instant, the closet door opened and interrupted them. The two boys turned to look, but the brightness of the sudden light was blinding. There seemed to be a tall figure standing there...?

"Good grief," a husky voice muttered.

"D-Dojima-san?" Yosuke yelped. "Uhh, it's—"

The closet door slammed shut.

"—not what it seems?"

Souji snickered under him. "It's exactly what it seems." Then his hands wandered and soon Yosuke couldn't think of anything else but Souji.


End file.
